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Best Food Dehydrator Reviews (2020): Our Favorite Tools For Herbs & Fruits

Keeping up with a healthy lifestyle is much easier if we have the right tools at home. With most of us having too many things on our plate, it is important that we look for methods that can cut down our work and make life a little bit easier, especially in the food prepping department. 

With that said, you need a food dehydrator in your life. A food dehydrator, just like what its name suggests, is a tool that you can use to remove as much moisture in the food. It dehydrates food so that it can last longer. Without too much moisture, food can last longer.

We checked out the different food dehydrators out there and looked for those with the best features that will work for different kinds of needs. Make sure you keep on reading to find out what our recommendations are and why we recommend them.

Quick Comparison: Top 4 Food Dehydrator

**Below, you'll find our more detailed reviews, but you can also click the links above to see current prices or read customer reviews on Amazon.

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Benefits of Dehydrating Food

Aside from the amazing flavor of dehydrated fruits or vegetables, there are also a lot of other benefits to dehydrating food. Here are some of them: 

  1. You can prolong the freshness of food.

Do you have freshly-picked fruits or vegetables from your yard? If it sits on your counter for a long time, it can lose its freshness and maybe many of its nutrients. If you can’t consume all of it right during its peak of freshness, consider dehydrating them. That will help preserve their freshness but without adding preservatives.

  1. It is cheaper compared to buying snacks.

Commercially dehydrated fruits and vegetables are expensive. You are not just paying for the food itself but also for the advertising, processing, packaging and distribution costs. This is why these products you can find in grocery stores expensive.  

  1. You can control how healthy and natural it is.

When you buy packaged snacks in groceries, you don’t know what sort of ingredients were added into it. You also don’t know if they sourced their raw ingredients in their freshest state. If you are doing the work yourself, you can control the kinds of additional ingredients you will put in it.

  1. You always have fresh and healthy food to eat.

You can make dehydrated food in bulk and store it in your freezer. That way, you always have fresh food ready for consumption. This minimizes instances of snacking on unhealthy foods because you don’t have time to prepare them. If you need food to eat, there is always something to get in the freezer. This is also good if you are trying to live a healthier lifestyle or if you have a big family to feed.

  1. It reduces food wastes.

A lot of people end up wasting food because they aren’t able to consume all of them before they start going bad. It is bad for the environment and is also a waste of money. If you want to save a lot of money by avoiding food wastage, get yourself a food dehydrator.

Best Food Dehydrator Reviews FOR THIS YEAR

Check out the various benefits and features of these dehydrators:

If you are serious about making a major change to your eating habits, get this one. It is a high-end food dehydrator that comes with 9 trays with 15 square feet of space each for your food. That means you can dehydrate more food per batch using this dehydrator. It features an adjustable thermostat as well. It can get as low as 105 degrees Fahrenheit to up to 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Its wide range of temperature works for delicate fruits and meats. There is also a 26-hour timer for added safety.

Pros

  • This is one of the best dehydrators out there. It has a good capacity that will accommodate more food dehydrating needs.
  • The 26-hour timer brings more peace of mind.
  • You can easily find a good temperature for dehydrating due to its adjustable thermostat.
  • The fan is found at the back. That means air is drawn into the unit easily, which will effectively distribute air.
  • Faster dehydrating time, thanks to its Parallax Horizontal Airflow system.
  • No need to rotate the trays because of the even airflow.
  • Can be used for other purposes as well such as making yogurts and raising breads. It can also be used for arts and crafts.
  • It features hyperwave fluctuation technology that preserves the nutrients and the active enzymes in fruits.

Cons

  • It is more expensive than many other food dehydrators out there.

This is a mid-sized food dehydrator that comes with 6 trays made from BPA-free plastic. It operates with 480W of energy. You can easily set the temperature to your preferred settings. It can go as low as 95 degrees Fahrenheit to as high as 158 degrees Fahrenheit. It also features 19. 5 hours of drying time. The transparent front door allows you to see all the action going on inside.

Pros

  • This is a great-looking food dehydrator that you should be proud to display on your countertop.
  • The temperature controls are digital. It is easy to operate and find the right temperature for your preferences.
  • It shortens the dehydration time with its optimal airflow system.
  • The transparent window allows you to see your progress.
  • It is more affordable compared to other dehydrators out there.
  • It features ceTL approved technology. You can be assured that it is safe to use.
  • It comes with a 1-year hassle-free warranty.
  • It comes with a mat insert for smaller cuts of fruits and for nuts.

Cons

  • There were isolated problems of the dehydrator not getting to a high temperature.

Do you want something with a big capacity but without spending too much money? Get this one then. It has 9 trays inside that can accommodate more food. Whether you like dehydrating fruits or jerky, this will be a tool that will be used heavily in your kitchen. It comes with a fruit leather sheet as well as a drip tray for convenience. 

It dehydrates well with its adjustable temperature settings that go from 95 degrees Fahrenheit to 158 degrees Fahrenheit. The air flows evenly inside the and passes through the shelves without the need to rotate the trays. It also has an automatic shut off function. Once it reaches the end of the timer, it will shut off.

Pros

  • This has a good capacity. You can dehydrate more food.
  • The price is affordable considering how big its capacity is. It can give more expensive dehydrates with the same capacity a run for their money.
  • It features a control center countdown timer LCD panel. This makes it easier to input how long you need to dehydrate your food.
  • The Circusmart 360-degrees Air Flow Circulation System works seamlessly. It allows air to properly circulate inside.
  • It already comes with pre-set temperature settings.
  • It comes with a recipe book.

Cons

  • This might not have the best customer support.

This is a more compact dehydrator that features a top mounted fan for good circulation. It has 600 watts of drying power and operates with 120 volts of electricity. The thermostat has a range of 95 degrees Fahrenheit to 160 degrees Fahrenheit. It has an expandable interior. You initially get 5 trays, but it can easily accommodate 12 trays. The exterior features opaque Vita-Save that prevents UV rays from entering the dehydration chamber. It also makes use of Converga-Flow drying system that allows air to travel down into the chamber but not in the trays. This results in faster drying time.

Pros

  • This is a more affordable food dehydrator.
  • It has a chamber that is expandable. In case you need to dehydrate more fruits, you can easily use more trays.
  • The Converga-Flow drying system delivers hot air into a chamber, so it doesn’t pass through the tray. As a result, food dries faster.
  • There is no need to rotate trays.
  • The opaque exterior prevents UV rays from getting in and damaging the nutrient content of the food dehydrator.

Cons

  • Trays do not lock in so food can fall down into the next tray.

Which One Should You Get?

Have you decided which of these dehydrators to buy? Let us help you out even further. 

Best Value for Your Money: Excalibur 3926TB 9-Tray Electric Food Dehydrator. This is a high-end dehydrator that has all the features you need to dehydrate food effectively. It has even airflow functions, thereby allowing you to have delicious dehydrated food.

Great Look: Chefman Food Dehydrator Machine. This food dehydrator has a nice and solid design. It is compact and can fit in corners of your countertop with ease. It also has a spacious interior where you will be able to dehydrate a lot of fruits and vegetables. If you are looking for a combination of appearance and functionality, this is definitely a great option.

Value for Your Money: Gourmia GFD1950 Premium Countertop Food Dehydrator. It has a large capacity but doesn’t come with a hefty price tag. If you want something bigger to dehydrate more food but don’t fancy spending more money, get this one. It also has a lot of features you can find in more expensive dehydrators.

Cheap but Replete With Features: Nesco FD-75A Snackmaster Pro Food Dehydrator. This might be the cheapest choice, but it is not lacking in features. It has an expandable capacity and uses a different kind of drying mechanism that allows faster-drying cycle.

What to Consider When Buying the Best Food Dehydrator

Are you ready to make a change in your eating habits? Here are the things you need to consider in order to buy the best food dehydrator:

  1. Capacity

Food dehydrators come in different sizes. Some are square-shaped devices that can accommodate 9 trays of food while others come in more compact and more portable circular-shaped equipment. Choose a capacity that will accommodate your intended use. If you plan on making big batches of dehydrated food to take with you to work or feed your family, a bigger-sized food dehydrator is more suitable. But if you live alone and you only need a dehydrator for yourself, a smaller one should suffice.

  1. Temperature Range

Choose a dehydrator that comes with an adjustable thermostat. That way, you can control how hot it is going to get. Higher temperatures are great for dehydrating meats such as jerky but lower temperatures are better when it comes to preserving the enzymes found in fruits. The ability to control temperature range through an adjustable thermostat is an indispensable feature.

  1. Air circulation

Air circulation is vital for food dehydration process. Check out how large the fan incorporated in it is to determine how well it will circulate air.

  1. Size and Weight

You don’t want something that is too big, or it will take up too much counter space. If you don’t have a lot of counter space or storage space, go for those compact food dehydrators that won’t take up a lot of space and won’t be hard to store after usage.

Go for one that also doesn’t weigh too much. It should be easy to carry around.

  1. Energy Consumption

Find out how much energy it consumes. Look for one that has efficient functions and doesn’t consume too much energy. That way, you can use it without worrying that it will take a toll on your electric consumption.

  1. Warranty

Go for a food dehydrator that is backed by a warranty. Since you will use it for a long time, you need to make sure it will keep up with your demands. If it breaks down prematurely, you would want a warranty to back it up. You can get the help of the manufacturer to replace or repair your unit.

These are the things you should keep in mind if you want to find the best food dehydrator out there.

What to Do Next?

Want to ensure you are getting the best tools for your kitchen? Go head to our homepage and read our reviews. Get some tips on how to buy the best kitchen supplies.